3 ms·

I mean, those aren't even the highest crime places in the US (Chicago notwithstanding) If you want to list actual high crime places in the US, it's: Baltimore

by dmoy 3y ago

I mean, those aren't even the highest crime places in the US (Chicago notwithstanding) If you want to list actual high crime places in the US, it's: Baltimore, St Louis, New Orleans, Detroit, and Cleveland. Besides Chicago, none of the others you listed are even top 20.

dmoy 3y ago
I guess unless by safe we mean burglary, not violent crime. In which case, yea, I think Seattle is worst, like 50% worse than the second worst.
anonym29 3y ago
I wonder what Baltimore, St Louis, New Orleans, Detroit, and Cleveland (and maybe Chicago?) have in common that SF, Seattle, Portland, Austin, Denver, NYC, Boston, and LA don't. There has to be some hidden third variable besides a weak correlation between crime levels and how far west a city is within the US, no? Looking at the states, MD, MO, LA, MI, OH v.s. CA, WA, OR, TX, CO, NY, MA I was thinking maybe guns but then why would TX and CO (relatively relaxed on guns) be in the lower category? Then I wondered if maybe it's relating to the housing-challenged (more property crime maybe?), but I can't imagine that climates like those of Detroit and Chicago, with subzero temps and tons of snow in the winter, are very unhospitable to the unsheltered, probably even fatal to those who can't access shelter. Anyone else have any ideas? I'm stumped here. I know crime is a complex social issue but it seems like there's some weird variable I must be missing.
- dmoy 3y ago
  > There has to be some hidden third variable Or probably like a hundred other variables. > I was thinking maybe guns but then why would TX and CO (relatively relaxed on guns) be in the lower category? There's basically zero correlation between US state gun laws and homicide (or US state gun ownership rate and homicide). I mean like the correlation there is 0.05 or something, quite literally zero. Some of the most lax states (Idaho, New Hampshire) have some of the lowest homicide rates (on par with Europe). Some of the other most lax states (Louisiana, for example) have some of the highest homicide rates. And v. versa for strong gun laws (as far as US can get lol). Poverty correlates better. Income inequality correlates better. But neither sufficient to explain everything.
  - anonym29 3y ago
    Isn't the US poverty line a level of absolute wealth that would put one among the top 10-20% highest income humans on earth? I wonder why such prosperous people are still so compelled to commit elevated levels of crime.
    - dmoy 3y ago
      Because things are very expensive. Absolute wealth means nothing if rent costs 70%+ of your income.
      - anonym29 3y ago
        Sure, but people below the poverty line qualify for housing vouchers, food stamps, utility vouchers, public transportation vouchers, taxpayer-provided cellular phones & cellular service, and more.

by dmoy 3y ago

dmoy 3y ago

I guess unless by safe we mean burglary, not violent crime. In which case, yea, I think Seattle is worst, like 50% worse than the second worst.

anonym29 3y ago

I wonder what Baltimore, St Louis, New Orleans, Detroit, and Cleveland (and maybe Chicago?) have in common that SF, Seattle, Portland, Austin, Denver, NYC, Boston, and LA don't. There has to be some hidden third variable besides a weak correlation between crime levels and how far west a city is within the US, no? Looking at the states, MD, MO, LA, MI, OH v.s. CA, WA, OR, TX, CO, NY, MA I was thinking maybe guns but then why would TX and CO (relatively relaxed on guns) be in the lower category? Then I wondered if maybe it's relating to the housing-challenged (more property crime maybe?), but I can't imagine that climates like those of Detroit and Chicago, with subzero temps and tons of snow in the winter, are very unhospitable to the unsheltered, probably even fatal to those who can't access shelter. Anyone else have any ideas? I'm stumped here. I know crime is a complex social issue but it seems like there's some weird variable I must be missing.

dmoy 3y ago
> There has to be some hidden third variable Or probably like a hundred other variables. > I was thinking maybe guns but then why would TX and CO (relatively relaxed on guns) be in the lower category? There's basically zero correlation between US state gun laws and homicide (or US state gun ownership rate and homicide). I mean like the correlation there is 0.05 or something, quite literally zero. Some of the most lax states (Idaho, New Hampshire) have some of the lowest homicide rates (on par with Europe). Some of the other most lax states (Louisiana, for example) have some of the highest homicide rates. And v. versa for strong gun laws (as far as US can get lol). Poverty correlates better. Income inequality correlates better. But neither sufficient to explain everything.
- anonym29 3y ago
  Isn't the US poverty line a level of absolute wealth that would put one among the top 10-20% highest income humans on earth? I wonder why such prosperous people are still so compelled to commit elevated levels of crime.
  - dmoy 3y ago
    Because things are very expensive. Absolute wealth means nothing if rent costs 70%+ of your income.
    - anonym29 3y ago
      Sure, but people below the poverty line qualify for housing vouchers, food stamps, utility vouchers, public transportation vouchers, taxpayer-provided cellular phones & cellular service, and more.